ROCKFORD — Dan Isaacson had completed his beverage delivery rounds at the then-Hilander on Rural Street Aug. 16, 2012, when he saw something strange: A man entering the grocery store bundled up in a ski mask, hooded parka, sunglasses and gloves despite the summer heat.

An entrepreneur and distributor who lives in Elgin but works in Rockford, Isaacson knew something was wrong. And as they passed, Isaacson watched in horror as the man pulled what appeared to be a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol from his waistband.

“Gun!” Isaacson yelled.

Isaacson couldn’t have known it then, but he was about to play a key role in foiling a brazen bank robbery.

It was a robbery that Michael O. Fryer Jr., 31, and his girlfriend at the time, Janell L. Holland, 23, both of Rockford, meticulously planned. They have pleaded guilty in connection with the BMO Harris Bank branch robbery inside the former grocery store at 1715 Rural St., according to federal court documents.

In a surreal crime, their stolen get-away pickup truck was fire bombed and a wild chase with police ensued in a second get-away vehicle with Holland’s young child inside.

Holland was recently sentenced to six years in prison. Fryer is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday. Although bank robbery can garner as many as 25 years in prison, according to a federal sentencing memorandum, Fryer, because of his cooperation with authorities to convict Holland, is expected to get a far lighter sentence.

Although the plea agreement says Fryer was carrying a BB gun, neither Isaacson nor the bank tellers could tell it wasn’t real.

“Do you want to get shot?” Fryer asked a teller. “Don’t be a hero. Put all the money in the bag.”

As he fled from the gunman into the grocery parking lot, Isaacson told a clerk to get back. He saw a mom pushing a grocery store cart with a son inside and daughter walking alongside. He said he instinctively grabbed the girl’s hand and dragged her to relative safety away from the grocery store entrance.

“The mother was screaming and coming after me because I’m sure she thought I was stealing her kid,” Issacson said. “I just pushed her down to the ground and told her to stay down, the store was being robbed. I got out my cellphone and called 911.”

Isaacson believed he was inches from death when Fryer rushed outside carrying a bag filled with $16,709. Isaacson said it felt like Fryer had been inside the store about 35 seconds.

Issacson was still on the phone with emergency dispatchers and had thought he was standing a safe distance from the door. But Fryer burst out of the grocery store and was advancing on him. Isaacson said he had unknowingly retreated to a spot right next to Fryer’s get-away truck.

Page 2 of 2 - Fryer pointed his gun at Isaacson’s face.

“Get the (expletive) away from my truck,” Fryer said.

Isaacson didn’t stand in his way. But when a grocery store cashier offered to follow Fryer in her Honda Civic, he jumped inside.

They followed as Fryer sped east on Rural Street and turned on Highland Avenue. Holland was waiting in a Buick — affixed with a license plate stolen from a hospital parking lot — for Fryer there on Highland.

Fryer got out of the stolen pickup truck and calmly got out a bottle. Isaacson watched from where he had stopped with the grocery store clerk in the Honda down the street as Fryer lit the bottle on fire and threw it into the truck cab.

“The whole cab went up in flames,” Isaacson said. “He got inside the car and came down the street toward us. We were blocking the way. They were staring at us. I am on the phone with 911 the whole time and relayed the new license plate and it turned out to be the girlfriend’s car.”

Fryer slammed the car in reverse and sped down Highland at what Isaacson estimated was 50 mph backward.

They continued to follow and relay information to the police about where the car was. They eventually were waved off the pursuit by police officers.

“Officers pursued the Buick for several minutes until (the) defendant and Holland eluded police in the area of 11th Street and 23rd Avenue,” the plea agreement said.

Fryer was arrested later that day. Nearly all of the money was recovered.